Plans for a 16-storey block of apartments to replace Bristol’s old DSS office in Bedminster have been scrapped – and instead developers will convert the existing 1970s building into 40 flats.

But while that has been welcomed by people overlooking the St Catherine’s Place area, the developers still have ambitious plans to surround the office block with new upmarket apartment developments.

St Catherine’s House has stood on the corner of Dalby Avenue for 40 years and was once the heart of the bustling St Catherine’s Place shopping centre.

But the office block has been empty for years, and the shopping centre has more empty shops than units occupied.

It forms a key part of the so-called ‘Bedminster Green’ regeneration plans, which have been mired in the confusion and chaos caused by different developers owning different parts of the area either side of Malago Road.

One developer had plans to knock down the St Catherine House office block, and build a shiny new 16-storey block of apartments, but they have now sold to a firm called Firmstone Consortia One, who it appears own all of the land on the north side of Dalby Avenue.

Artist's impression of the St Catherine's Place regeneration

Firmstone Consortia One has now submitted a planning application to keep the old 1970s office block and convert it into 40 flats.

But their new artist’s impression shows the existing office block, and the shopping centre, but now surrounded by new build apartment blocks covering the whole corner of Dalby Avenue and Malago Road.

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“Alongside other redevelopments in the vicinity, changes at St Catherine’s Place will mean that this part of Bedminster can look forward to much needed investment.”

Firmstone has already been in touch with WHaM – the Windmill Hill and Malago residents’ group, which was a vociferous opponent of the high-rise tower blocks proposed for both this site and the site between Malago Road and the railway line.

A WHaM spokesman said Firmstone had pledged that none of the other buildings on the site would ‘go above seven storeys’ – the height of the existing office block, even though the artists’ impression on the firm’s website still show that.